Because what’s $6 million when you’ve created a structural budget gap many times that? From the Dems’ press release:

 

Democrats in the Monroe County Legislature today released an accounting from the State Comptroller’s Office showing that the Medicaid Intercept—part of the County Executive’s so-called F.A.I.R. plan—socked the taxpayers with a $6.2 million penalty in 2008.

The County’s Medicaid costs for 2008 would have been $161.7 million under the 3% Medicaid cap that was in effect before the Republican majority in the County Legislature enacted the Sales Tax Intercept as part of the so called F.A.I.R. Plan. Sales tax revenue data received from the State show that Monroe County actually paid $167.9 million for Medicaid in 2008 or $6.2 million more than if the Intercept had not been adopted.

Thus, it is now abundantly clear why every other county in the State stayed with the 3% cap. Monroe was the only county in New York State to adopt the Medicaid Intercept.

 

If you want “he said, she said”, check out the WXXI article on it, where the GOP again tries to move the goalposts after the game is over, and play “fun with numbers”.  But if the Comptroller’s office is saying 6 Million, I’m inclined to believe them.

Related posts:

1. The intercept plan is failing
2. More on Maggie Brook’s Tax Intercept plan
3. Republican Legislature rams through Tax Intercept plan
4. Monroe County Tax Intercept - Breaking faith with Constituents
5. How Does A Monroe County Budget Go Into The Red? $1M at a Time